Prospective Undergrads
What is Systems Engineering?
Systems engineering is a multidisciplinary approach for understanding, designing, building, and addressing large, complex, real-world problems. It strives to ensure that hardware, software, algorithms, processes, and people work together to make effective and optimal decisions under uncertainty, upon a rigorous foundation in probability and statistics.
As Systems Engineers:
We push the boundaries of knowledge in our three core areas — Human Technology Interaction, Information and Intelligent Automation, and Operations Research and Analytics — to improve performance across the range of human activity. Newly developed approaches have produced advances in domains of health, technology, defense, finance, logistics, cyber security, sports, government policy, and infrastructure, among many others. Through all our work, we seek to benefit society by fostering safety, efficiency, and sound decision-making.
Why Choose Systems at UVA?
Systems Engineering at UVA takes two complementary approaches: first, we use systems thinking, which is a holistic approach that focuses on how the interconnected parts of a system influence each other, rather than looking at individual components; secondly, our students are grounded in a rigorous foundation in mathematical methods, specifically probability and statistics. We put students in positions to learn how to identify, scope, and frame the right problem, as opposed to solving defined problems. Such skills are hard to replace in an age of generative AI.
Importantly, our faculty bring in real problems to the classroom, in particular, year-long capstone experiences with actual industrial and governmental clients. Students often work in teams, fostering a community where students and faculty know each other on a first-name basis. Flexible coursework makes UVA systems students knowledgeable of other areas of the university, including the humanities, other fields of engineering, and beyond UVA in study abroad experiences.
The program is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and received the first award of the Board for Curricular Innovation. The program also received the Outstanding Educator Award from the Boeing Company, which recognized UVA’s Systems Engineering Program for its potential to “develop leaders prepared to shape the future.”
Study Abroad
Systems students apply their skills in contexts around the world, like in Dubai, Argentina, South Africa, Sweden, and Valencia, using data-driven decision-making to tackle complex challenges in industries, ranging from sustainability and infrastructure to technology and finance. Students enhance their ability to analyze complex systems, communicate effectively across cultures, and develop innovative solutions for global challenges. The Systems curriculum is sufficiently flexible to afford distinct types of study abroad experiences, ranging from a semester to two weeks. Upwards of 35% of UVA Systems students enroll in a study abroad program.
The Dubai, Argentina, and Sweden programs are two-week January and May term programs. A cohort of about 20 undergraduate students from both Systems and other degree programs around the university travels with one to two instructors. The students work with actual industrial clients on projects that lead to implementable solutions. The students are also immersed in the local culture and daily life. The Valencia program is a more traditional, full-semester program where students take engineering courses in English as well as speak Spanish day-to-day.
Coursework
Our coursework is rooted in probabilistic and statistical concepts, focusing on solving problems that involve inherent uncertainty. We emphasize identifying the core problem and understanding the information people rely on to make decisions. With a strong foundation in mathematics and data, our program takes a quantitative approach to decision-making, equipping students with the analytical skills needed to navigate complex challenges.
The UVA Systems curriculum is more flexible than many traditional engineering programs. In addition to the courses specifically required in the curriculum, students are able to take twelve credits of unrestricted electives, nine credits of systems engineering electives, and three credits of engineering electives. The curriculum allows students to pursue multiple areas of interest within the broad framework of systems engineering.
The program culminates in a capstone design project, spanning both the fall and spring semesters of the fourth year. Students working in small teams under the direction of a faculty mentor are matched with a client from the public or private sector. Each team is assigned an open-ended design problem, and they apply the perspectives, methods, and tools of systems engineering that they learn in the classroom to the resolution of a problem for a client.
Current UVA undergraduate students can apply to a Master of Engineering (M.E.) degree program in the third year of their undergraduate studies through the UVAccelerate program. The M.E. program is 30 credits of coursework as part of an approved plan of study, and with the right planning, a current UVA undergraduate may be able to get a head start on taking graduate-level courses while finishing their bachelor’s degree.
After Graduation
A degree in Systems Engineering from UVA confers employability in a wide range of industries, governmental agencies, and non-profits. It offers students a variety of career choices in engineering and management, and also provides excellent pre-med, pre-business, and pre-law preparation. The award-winning program is one of the largest systems engineering programs in the United States, and the graduates of the program consistently receive higher salary offers than the national average for other systems programs and other engineering disciplines.
Systems Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum
Graphical Curriculum Layout
Graphical Pre-requisite Layout
Text-Based Semester-by-Semester Layout
Graphical Pre-requisite Layout
Text-Based Semester-by-Semester Layout
Application Sequences
Courses in an application area provide a focus for professional development within the general discipline of systems engineering. With this in mind, you are required to complete a sequence of three courses in a related application area of systems engineering.
Electives
The plan of study for the Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering includes five distinct categories of elective course work--science electives, general education electives, humanities electives, technical electives, and application electives.
Licensure Disclosure
- As a member of the State Authorizations Reciprocity Agreement, the University of Virginia (UVA) is authorized to provide curriculum in a distance learning environment to students located in all states in the United States except for California. (34 CFR 668.43(a)(6)& 34 CFR 668.72(n)).
- Upon completion of an engineering degree program which prepares graduates for licensure or certification, graduates may be eligible for initial professional licensure in another U.S. state by applying to the licensing board or agency in that state. Please visit the University’s state authorization web pages to make an informed decision regarding which states’ educational requirements for initial licensure are met by this program. (668.43(a)(5) (v)(A) - (C))
- Enrolled students who change their current (or mailing) address to a state other than Virginia should update this information immediately in the Student Information System as it may impact their ability to complete internship, practicum, or clinical hours, use Title IV funds, or meet licensure or certification requirements in the new state. (34 CFR 668.402).
The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only. The Undergraduate Record and Graduate Record represent the official repository for academic program requirements. These publications may be found here.